HVAC

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning

1. Thermodynamcs is the study of energy transformations and relation between heat, energy and work done.

 Second Law: Heat spontaneously flows from hot to cold object and not vice versa.
Heat can flow from cold object to hot object if work is done for the same. E.g.: refrigerator and AC.
COP coefficient of performance: ratio of heat removed to work done to achieve the same.
Typical refrigerators have COP values between 2 and 6.” Bigger is better!”

 First Law: The internal energy of a closed system changes only due to addition or removal of heat.
Q=U+W
Types of process
1. Isothermal Process occurs when the temperature of gas remains constant.
2. When the pressure of the gas is constant it is called Isobaric Process
3. Isochoric Process is the process in which volume of the gas is constant.
4. Adiabatic Process is the process where there is no flow of heat into or out of the system. E.g.: when gas
is rapidly compressed or expanded.

 Third Law: It is impossible to lower the temperature of an object to absolute zero (no motion) in a finite
number of steps.

 Zeroth Law: If system A is in equilibrium with system B and also system C is in equilibrium with B
then systems A & C are also in equilibrium.
Note:

When two objects have the same temperature, they are in thermal equilibrium.

Entropy is a measure of disorder

More heat is exhausted to the kitchen than is removed from the refrigerator.
2. Refregiration: The process of heat removal
It works on 2nd law of thermodynamics. It is done to maintain temperature of object or room at a temperature
other than ambient (surrounding) temperature.

 Heat
Heat is a form of energy and absence of heat is cold. SI unit BTU (British thermal unit)

Heat flows by conduction (collision), convection (movement) or radiation (without heating the medium).

If heat increases, molecules of object vibrate which (the vibration) can be measured by thermometer.

Types of heat :

I. Specific heat- Heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of substance by 1F
II. Sensible heat- Change in temperature due to molecular motion without change in state.
III. Latent heat – Change in state without change in temperature

Temperature of 23.5-24 oC should be maintained.

 Humidity
It is the amount of water vapour present in air.
There are three types:
I. Absolute: Total volume of water present in given volume of air.
II. Relative: The ratio of water vapour present in air to saturation amount at given temperature
III. Specific: Ratio of total mass of water vapour to mass of dry air
The device used to measure humidity is called psychrometer.
Increase in humidity causes water precipitation, reduction in sweating & decrease in humidity causes irritation
of eyes and skin.
Humidity should be maintained 50- 60 %

 Air flow
Air flow is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute).It is measured using anemometer.
The meter indicates velocity of air flow in ft/min; you need to multiply it with its cross section area. (For supply
diffuser, A.H.U, ducts & split units).

Terms:
Saturation temperature is the temperature at which the change of state takes place.
Pressure is force per unit area measured in PSI, Bar, kg/cm2 and Kpa (kilo pascal).
Instruments
1. Thermometer: A thermometer is a device that measures the temperature
of things. The name is made up of two smaller words: "Thermo" means
heat and "meter" means to measure.
The thermometer measures temperatures in Fahrenheit, Celsius and
another scale called Kelvin. Fahrenheit is used mostly in the United
States, and most of the rest of the world uses Celsius. Kelvin is used by
scientists.
When you look at a regular outside bulb thermometer, you'll see a thin red
or silver line that grows longer when it is hotter. The line goes down in
cold weather. This liquid is sometimes colored alcohol but can also be
metallic liquid called mercury. Both mercury and alcohol grow bigger
when heated and smaller when cooled. Inside the glass tube of a
thermometer, the liquid has no place to go but up when the temperature is
hot and down when the temperature is cold.

2. Psychrometer: Whirl the instrument rapidly for at least one minute, but no more than three. The dry
bulb thermometer simply reads the
temperature of the surrounding
air. However, as the wet bulb
passes through the air, water
evaporates from the wick causing
the wet bulb thermometer to read
a lower temperature than the
dry bulb. This happens because
evaporation has a cooling effect
on the wet bulb thermometer.
The temperature of the wet bulb
Thermometer will decrease as the
instrument is swung until the
moisture content of the wet wick
reaches equilibrium with that of
the surrounding.
Refer the below table for RH

3. Anemometer: Used to measure air velocity in ft/min, CFM can

be calculated by multiplying it with surface area sq.ft.
 Dry-Bulb Temperature Minus Wet-Bulb Temperature
Dry-Bulb
(Dry-Bulb Depression), °C
Temp.,°C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 14 16 18 20
2 84 68 52 37 22 8
4 85 71 57 43 29 16 3
6 86 73 60 48 35 24 11
8 87 75 63 51 40 29 19 8
10 88 77 66 55 44 34 24 15 6
12 89 78 68 58 48 39 29 21 12
14 90 79 70 60 51 42 34 26 18 10
16 90 81 71 63 54 46 38 30 23 15
18 91 82 73 65 57 49 41 34 27 20 7
20 91 83 74 66 59 51 44 37 31 24 12
22 92 83 76 68 61 54 47 40 34 28 17 6
24 92 84 77 69 62 56 49 43 37 31 20 10
26 92 85 78 71 64 58 51 46 40 34 24 14 5
28 93 85 78 72 65 59 53 48 42 37 27 18 9
30 93 86 79 73 67 61 55 50 44 39 30 21 13 5
32 93 86 80 74 68 62 57 51 46 41 32 24 16 9
34 93 87 81 75 69 63 58 53 48 43 35 26 19 12 5
36 94 87 81 75 70 64 59 54 50 45 37 29 21 15 8
38 94 88 82 76 71 66 61 56 51 47 39 31 24 17 11
40 94 88 82 77 72 67 62 57 53 48 40 33 26 20 14
42 94 88 83 77 72 67 63 58 54 50 42 34 28 21 16
44 94 89 83 78 73 68 64 59 55 51 43 36 29 23 18

Note:

Cooling tower TR calculation

Given: Water flow rate through CT: 120 m3/h
Specific heat of water: 1 kCal/kg °C
Inlet water temperature: 37 °C
Outlet water temperature: 32 °C
Ambient wet bulb temperature (WBT): 29 °C
SOLUTION
Cooling tower capacity (TR)
= (flow rate x density x specific heat x temperature difference) / 3024
= [120 x 1000 x 1 x (37-32)] / 3024
= 198.4 TR
Chiller tonnage = (gpm x ∆ T)/ 24 ; Cooling Tower tonnage = (gpm x ∆ T)/ 30
CT TR = 1.25 x Chiller TR
3.Refrigeration Cycle

Order of starting
1.Condensor pump
2.CT fan
3.Primary Pump
4.Chiller
5.Secondary Pump
6.AHU

VAV
Major components of Chiller:

Types of compressor: Screw, Scroll, reciprocating & centrifugal

Condenser & Evaporator

Throttling:
Throttling devise is another vital part of all the refrigeration systems and air conditioning systems apart from the
compressor, condenser and the evaporator. The refrigerant leaves the compressor at high pressure and
temperature and enters the condenser. After leaving the condenser the refrigerant is at medium temperature and
high pressure and then it enters the throttling valve. In the throttling valve the pressure and the temperature of
the refrigerant is reduced drastically and suddenly. Thus us it is the throttling valve where the temperature of
the refrigerant is reduced and it is then able to produce the cooling effect in the evaporator of the refrigerator or
the cooling coil of the air conditioner. The throttling valve also controls the amount of the refrigerant that
should enter into the evaporator depending on the refrigeration load.

Note:
EER (Energy efficiency Ration) = Btu/W/Hr
COP = 3.516/(kW/ton)

To calculate EER = Tons x 12/(total kW input)

Primary pump flow ≥ secondary flow
Refrigerant: It is the most important fluid in the whole system without which cooling is impossible.
Initially we used fluorocarbons, then chlorofluorocarbons which got phased out due to ozone depletion and got
replaced by hydrocarbons.
List of refrigerants: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_refrigerants
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) : R11, R12, R113, R114, R115
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) : R22, R123, R124, R141b, R142b
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) : R32, R125, R134a, R143a, R152a

R-12 replaced with R143-a : 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane then R – 154a latest (all eco - friendly).
Note: F= (C x 1.8) + 32
Latent heat cannot be measured by thermometer
1 Ton = 12000 btu/hr =3.5 KW = 400 CFM (Cubic feet meter) = 1m3 = 1000 Kg
Humidity (absolute) depends on temperature and pressure
For CFM measurement of AHU please operate it in manual mode (without VFD)

25 mm = 1 2.4 Gpm/
inch TR
Inch MM GPM TR
1/2 12 2 1
3/4 20 4 2
1 25 7 3
1 1/4 32 15 6
1 1/2 40 23 10
2 50 45 19
2 1/2 65 73 30
3 80 130 54
4 100 268 112
5 125 499 208
6 150 721 300
8 200 1248 520
10 250 1967 820
12 300 2818 1174
14 350 3436 1432
16 400 4552 1897
18 450 5824 2427
20 500 7253 3022
24 600 40593 16914
28 700 14533 6055
30 750 16745 6977
4. Other Devices
 A.H.U: (Air Handling Unit)

 FCU

 Split unit

Indoor unit components and design: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFRscor30Bc

Outdoor unit components and servicing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgDyC8N3m4s

 Refrigerator working: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5wQoA15OnQ

VRV: Variable refrigerant volume (single outdoor for many indoor units)

VAV: Variable Air volume

VFD (Variable Frequency Drive)

 i. Speed control with reference to pressure ii. Speed control with reference to temperature

iii. Circuit Diagram

It is used for 3 phase ac motor
Functions of a VFD
1. Start/Stop
2. Change Speed
3. Constant Speed
4. Limits
5. Ramping
6. Forward/Reverse
7. Save Energy

Note:
Ramping of motor reduces stress on gear box

Valves and Actuators

Actuator:
Operates valve or damper on the basis of input signal
(temp or pressure) given by thermostat or DDC

Flow switch: It is used for alarm (indication) and trip (protection) .

∆T
Evaporator & Condenser ∆T: 4-6 oc (100 % loads)
Condenser Approach temp: 2-4 oc
Note:

 Most people are familiar with water boiling at 100°C. How does refrigerant boil at 46°F? Every
substance has a unique boiling temperature based on its composition and pressure.

Psi = pounds per square inch

kPa = kilopascals
 Leaving chilled water temperature 6-10 c
 Chilled water flow rate (secondary) 2.4 gpm/ton
 Entering condenser water temperature 30-32 c
 Condenser water flow rate 3.0 gpm/ton
 Litmus paper test: one of the oldest forms of pH indicator, used to test materials for acidity. Blue
litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic (i.e.
alkaline) conditions. There are also other methods to detect PH.

Approach and lift

  Troubleshooting Chiller Operational Problems Using Approach Temperatures
There are four conditions that can cause high condenser head pressure in chillers
1. Waterside fouling
2. Non-condensable gases (i.e. air) in the refrigerant
3. Low condenser water flow rate
4. Condenser inlet water temperature too high

Chiller Efficiency
Chiller energy is function of load and lift
Lift is the difference between evaporator pressure and condenser pressure
The more the lift more energy is required for a load which means lesser the lift more efficient the chiller is.

Condenser head pressure

The temperature of the condensed refrigerant has a corresponding pressure called the condenser head pressure.
The compressor is designed to work at a certain condenser head pressure for a given load. The term “high head
pressure” refers to a condenser pressure that is higher than it should be for a specific load condition. High head
pressure is bad because for each additional 1ºF the refrigerant temperature is above design this requires the
compressor to consume 1.5% more energy.
The condenser tube wall thickness is just about 0.8 mm. Every descaling operation reduces the life of these
tubes. The chiller is the most expensive investment in an HVAC system. All efforts should be made to make it
last as per its designed life span.

Scale:
The solid particles of salt dissolved in water are called dissolved solids. Several types of salts such as Calcium and
Magnesium are normally dissolved in water. The total of all these is called Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. The quantity
of these salts is measured in PPM or parts per million. Although these dissolved salts are not visible to the naked eye, we
can measure them using a TDS or Conductivity Meter.

The Dissolved Solids present in water do not cause any harm to the condenser tubes at room temperature. When the
temperature of the water rises inside the tubes, solubility of water reduces. Ions such as Ca and Mg, which are in a
dissolved state, combine with other elements and precipitate out as Calcium and Magnesium Carbonates. Some of these
precipitates are hard and stick to the condenser tubes. This is called Scale. Energy is lost when there is scale formation.
The loss varies based on thickness and the type of hard scale.

Hard scale is difficult to remove. It is normally removed using an acid and by mechanical brushing. The condenser tube
thickness is about 0.8 mm. When acid and mechanical brushing is used, there is small erosion in the wall thickness of the
tube. It is also extremely difficult to neutralize the acid completely. Quite often traces of acid are left behind
unintentionally and this can cause damage to the welds. If Silica is present in the water the scale is much harder. Hard
scale forms very rapidly. Sometimes within two weeks

The most common method of treating cooling tower water is with chemicals (Dosing the water at cooling tower)

 Highly corrosive chemicals like Chlorine or Sulphuric acid are often added for disinfection and scale control
purpose. They reduce the life of the equipment.
 Phosphates are the most common additives. These are excellent fertilizers and promote growth of algae and
bacteria. There are unintended deposits and byproducts due to chemical treatment. These cannot be removed by
normal means. One of this byproduct is Calcium Phosphate.

Now a technique that helps in controlling hard scale despite bad quality of water is Ultra Low Frequency Wave
treatment or the ULF treatment. It does not try to remove the Ca and Mg ions. It focuses on controlling the
harmful effects of these when the temperatures are high

It is an established fact that energy waves with various amplitudes and frequencies affect molecules differently.
– Gamma and X-rays tend to strike off electrons.
– Ultraviolet rays are used to purify water.

–At Ultra Low Frequencies, these waves increase the inter-molecular bond strength because of which Ca
and Mg ions are held tight, and they are less likely to come out and form hard scale. If by chance the Ca ions
come out, the crystal structure of the deposit is different (soft scale)

The effect of bio-film is probably of least concern to most people. Bacteria in cooling tower water produces
bio-film. Bio-film reduces heat transfer. The ULF waves weaken the bacteria. This is followed up by
Copper-Silver ionization, which prevents the bacteria from multiplying and kills them. In this process a
transformer/rectifier brings down the AC 230 V to a low voltage DC current. This current is passed through the
electrodes. Once the current leaves the electrode the copper and silver ions are released. They bring down the
bacteria level dramatically i.e. the Total Bacteria Count (TBC)

RAW
water
TDS 250 1,200
PH 6.5 – 8.5
Total hardness (CaCO3) <80 <100
Chloride content <50 <200
Silica (SiO2) <30 <50
Cooling Tower
Checks
Motor alignment, belt, fan blade & noise (daily)
All valves and cleaning of base (weekly)
Water quality checks (monthly)

PAC
Precision Air conditioning is used to
precisely control room temp and
humidity even for period of hours
with maximum efficiency. Also they
are best at equal air distribution. They
are also called Computer Room Air
Conditioner (CRAC)

 Nor mal comfort AC uses 50%

energy in dehumidification but
PAC uses 95% energy for
cooling.
 The temp deviate by 3% in
Comfort AC but only ± 1 oc in
case of PAC and ± 5 %
humidity.
Mostly scroll compressor and R-22 is the
refrigerant used.
PAC can be either water cooled or air or glycol
cooled common makes are Stulz or emerson
The air flow is normally down and it can be up also.
Two units can be auto synchronized as per the time
set.

Note:
The Cool set point must be 1° C above the Reheat set point.
The Dehum set point must be 1% RH above the Humidify set point.

Maintenance of HVAC chiller:

Tube brushing
Leakage test
Oil test
Meter calibration
Cooling tower fins cleaning
Cooling tower water treatment and quality test

The machine will be removed from service if required

 Check oil level in the compressor.

 Check liquid sight glass to determine if there is a refrigerant shortage.
 Inspecting the unit of leaks with a soap solution.
 Inspect the entire system for any unusual condition such as noise, vibration, etc.
 Check the System Operating pressure and temperature to ensure proper operating conditions.
 Check the Evaporator and condenser approach.
 Check the chilled water temperature at full load with the chilled water temperature control.
 Inspect all safety controls and adjust if required.
 Review daily operating log maintained by customers operating personnel and instruct operating engineer
as required.
 Inspect all operating control and sequence of operation.
 Topping of Refrigerant and oil if required under normal wear and tear.
 Yearly health report of the chiller and suggestions for improvement.
 Yearly oil Analysis.
 Yearly Condenser De-scaling.

DO’s

1. Always monitor Main Power supply voltage.

2. Keep Chiller Main Power Supply always ON, for oil Separator Heater.
3. Before Starting the Chiller always ON Evaporator Pump / Condenser Pump.
4. Always check the pressure drop in Evaporator / Condenser, In let and outlet it should be always
maintained design condition.
5. Always Maintained Condenser In let Temperature as per design condition.
6. Maintain Log sheet, record parameters for every two hours.
7. If the units is to be shutdown over a prolonged period, it is advisable to leave the cooler and
condenser vessels filled with water. A drained vessel is more likely to rust and corrode than one that
is full of water. However, if the ambient temperature falls below freezing temperature then drain all
water and flushed with the tubes with compressed air. Switch off the power supply if necessary.
8. If the unit is to be shut down for more than one month, pump down and switch off power supply to
the control panel
9. During Long shut down it is advisable to leave the condenser and Evaporator filled with water.
10. Where ambient temperature drops below freezing temperature, it is not advisable to leave condenser
and Evaporator filled with water. Drain water and flush the tubes with compressed air.
DONTS
 1. Do not operate the Unit if line voltage exceeds 10% tolerance of the rated voltage, as listed on the
nameplate of the unit.
2. Do not start the Unit without energizing the oil sump heater for 24 hours.
3. Don’t operate Unit if condenser / Evaporator pressure drop not found as per design condition.
4. The Maximum inlet condenser water temp should not above 32.0F.
5. The Maximum leaving water, set point should not be more then 10 degree centigrade.
6. If any alarm occurred, don’t re-set any alarm without checked causes of alarm.
7. Do not bypass or link out any safety cutout device under any circumstances,
8. such as under voltage relay, over current relay, Flow switch, high / Low pressure switch high motor
temperature switch ( where applicable)
9. Do not perform phase-ground insulation test on the motor winding when it is under vacuum or when
connected to started. This will severely damage the insulation of the winding or the starter electronic
circuits.
10. Do not start the unit on test mode, unless otherwise supervised by trained personnel.
11. When charging the liquid refrigerant, ensure that chilled water and condenser water is being
circulated through the cooler and condenser vessel respectively at all time. Do not charge liquid
refrigerant through the suction service valve under any circumstances.
12. Do not charge the system with any other refrigerant oil other than specified by the manufacturer. Do
not mix refrigerant oil of different make. Please refer to the specific type of refrigerant oil used, as
listed on the nameplate of the unit or on the housing of the compressor.\
13. Do not overcharge the system with excess refrigerant. This will significantly reduce the condensing
surface and bring about the higher head pressure.
14. Do not charge the system with refrigerant oil unless a visible leak of oil is noticed.

Maintenance Schedule for VRV System:-

Outdoor Units:

1) Cleaning of Condenser Unit.

2) Checking of Voltage
3) Checking of Electrical Connections
4) Checking of abnormal Noise.
5) Checking and recording the condenser In Out temp
6) Cleaning of product.

Indoor Unit:

1) Cleaning of Air Filter

2) Cleaning of Evaporator Coil.
3) Cleaning of Blower
4) Cleaning of Electrical Connections and Voltage
5) Checking of any abnormal noise.
6) Checking of recording the room and grill temperature.
7) Cleaning of Drain pan and drain pump.
8) Cleaning of product.